Rotary tool



p 23. 1969 M. DEL vzccl-uo 3,468,073

ROTARY TOOL Filed Oct. 20, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 t i .g' i i do ZZ FIGZINVENTOR. MICHAEL DELVECCHIO ATTORNEY l 3, 1969 M. DEL vsccmo 3,468,073

ROTARY TOOL Filed Oct. 20, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illlla.

INVENTOR. MICHAEL DELVECCHIO ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice3,468,073 ROTARY TOOL Michael De] Vecchio, Providence, R.I., assignor offifty percent to Peter Gigliotti, Providence, RI. Filed Oct. 20, 1966,Ser. No. 588,688 Int. Cl. 1324b 23/00; B24d 9/02 US. Cl. 51170 3 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to improvementsin rotary tools and more particularly to an improved rotary sanding orgrinding tool.

In automobile body repair work there have been a variety of toolsoffered on the market which have not fully satisfied the usersrequirements therefor. Some have been large and awkward to handle, sometoo heavy, some do not have a firm enough backing for the sanding meanswhether sheet, belt or disk. Others have been such that the holdingmeans for the sanding element has not stood up in use and the sheet,belt or disk is quickly torn requiring replacement.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved rotary tool which overcomes the above objections of priortools.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotarytool which is compact and wherein the sanding means is solidly backedand may be operated at high speeds.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedrotary sanding or grinding tool which is safer to use and to handle thanprior devices.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedrotary tool for sanding and grinding in which the sanding or grindingelement can be firmly held from shifting.

Various other objects and advantages will become apparent from thedetailed description to follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the rotary tool according to thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the planeof line 22 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on theplane of line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the planeof line 4-4 in FIGURE 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals applyto like parts throughout, it will be seen that I have provided animproved rotary tool which includes a motor drive means 12, a housing14, sanding or grinding means 16, hearing means 18, and handle means 22.

Available on the market today are many motors including electric,pneumatic and hydraulic mechanisms. For the purposes of lightness,compactness and power I prefer a pneumatic motor such as shown at 12. Asan example such motor is available from National Detroit, Inc. ofRockford, 111. An air inlet connection communicates with a suitablesource of air pressure to drive the motor, a conventional air valve at26 controlling operation of the drive motor.

3,468,073 Patented Sept. 23, 1969 The housing 14 includes the portion 28in which the motor is received and the elbow shaped portion 30. Thelatter is joined by the screws, not shown, to the rim 30 and is hollowto receive the coupling drive means 13. The housing 14 has a flatcarrier frame plate 34 extending therefrom. The plate 34 has fouropenings formed therein for the bolts 36 the purpose of which will bedescribed. Another opening is formed at 38 whereby the handle means 22can be attached.

A generally U-shaped housing member 40 has a pair of flanges 42, 44 atthe top thereof formed with threaded openings to receive the bolts 36whereby the member 40 is attached to the plate 34. The legs of themember 40 comprise a pair of skirts 46, 48 which depend from the plate34 and are arcuately inturned and tapered toward their lower edges 50,52. The skirts are formed with air openings at 53 for dust venting.

The bight portion 54 has a circular recess with one of the bearing means18 received therein. The other bearing means 20 is carried in thehousing end plate 56. The plate 56 has a threaded opening 58 in the topthereof. The handle 22 has a threaded shank 60 which is engaged throughthe opening 38 into the opening 58 thus also holding the plates 56 and34 together. The plate 56 is also detachably joined to the side skirts46, 48 by the studs 62, 64.

A shaft 66 is journalled in the bearings 18, 20 and retained at one endby the spring retainer ring 68 which abuts the bearing 18 and is engagedin an annular groove 70 in the shaft. The shaft has a sheave 72permanently secured thereto adjacent the bearing means 18. A similarsheave 74 is secured to the motor drive shaft 76 and an O-ring 78drivingly couples the shafts.

A short sleeve 80 with an end flange 82 has a rubber or rubber-likebarrel 84 of cylindrical shape received thereon and attached thereto bythe screw 86. A similar sleeve 88 with a flange 90 is engaged in theopposing end of the barrel without contacting the other sleeve. Suitablewasher and spacer elements are provided at 92, 94.

The shaft 66 projects through the bearing means 20 and a spacer 96 isreceived on the outer end. Also the clamping nut 98 is threaded on theshaft.

Suitable sanding or grinding sleeves 100, either unitary or sectional,can be received on the barrel 84.

The barrel has a relaxed diameter such as to freely receive the sleeves100 thereon. By tightening the nut 98 the sleeve is longitudinallycompressed to expand radially to grip the sleeves from longitudinalshifting and to provide a substantially solid but slightly resilientbacking for the sleeves.

When a sleeve is to be replaced or interchanged, the operator merelyremoves the handle 22 and then removes the nut 98. Then the sandingsub-assembly including the barrel and sleeves can be removed for easyreplacement of the sleeves. Then the reverse accomplishes reassembly.

It is to be noted that the screw 86 has its head engaging the sheave 72for positive driving engagement.

The skirts 46, 48 are in close cooperative relationship with the sleeves100.

It will be seen thus, that I have provided a rotary tool which iscompact, lightweight, safe in construction and therefore to use, andwherein the same is ideally suited for automobile body work. Its shapeis such as to allow use in confined and curved areas, as well as flatareas.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the presentembodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since thescope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than bythe description preceding them, and all changes that fall within themetes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as Well asconjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to beembraced by these claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotary tool for sanding and grinding, a housing, a motor mountedin said housing, a housing member interconnected to said housing,bearings mounted on said housing member in spaced coaxial relation, ashaft journalled for rotation in said bearings, means for connectingsaid motor to said shaft in driving relation, a barrel formed of aresilient material surrounding said shaft for rotation therewith andreceiving a sanding and grinding sleeve in friction fitting relationthereon, and means for expanding the diameter of said barrel forfrictionally retaining the sanding and grinding sleeve thereon, saidexpanding means including a first internal sleeve mounted on said shaftand extending inwardly of said barrel for a portion of the lengththereof, said first sleeve having a flange located on the external endthereof that engages an end of said barrel, a second internal sleevemounted on said shaft and extending inwardly of said barrel for aportion of the length thereof and spaced from said first sleeve, saidsecond sleeve having a flange located on the external end thereof thatengages the other end of said barrel, and an externally accessiblefastener assembly engaging said shaft and having interengaging relationwith a flange of one of said internal sleeves, wherein tightening ofsaid fastener assembly on said shaft longitudinally moves the internalsleeve with which it is interengaged, thereby compressing and expandingsaid resilient barrel between the internal sleeves to frictionallyengage the sanding and grinding sleeve on said barrel.

2. In a rotary tool as set forth in claim 1, the flange on other of saidinternal sleeves engaging the connecting means for said shaft fordrivingly interconnecting the connecting means with said barrel.

3. In a rotary tool as set forth in claim 2, a plate joined to saidhousing, and said housing member being fixed to said plate in removablerelation, said housing member having a generally U-shaped configurationdefined by spaced, opposed skirts between Which said barrel is mounted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,406,914 2/ 1922 Virgilio 51274X 3,178,863 4/1965 Mikiyi 51170 X 2,800,750 7/ 1957 Field 5l375 FOREIGNPATENTS 645,718 7/1928 France. 498,645 5/ 1930 Germany.

' JAMES L. JONES, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 51-375

